Resources: Photographs and Related Collections

This page primarily introduces historical Japan-related photographic collections that are fully digitised and available in the public domain.

The Entwistle Collection

The Entwistle Collection is a digital archive of 340 photographs taken by an Australian soldier who served in Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in 1946 and 1947.

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The Entwistle Collection

Genthe Collection

The US Library of Congress’ digitised archive of work by photographer Arnold Genthe includes over 700 photographs of Japan taken between 1896 and 1942. Themes include ‘Travel Views of Japan and Korea’, ‘Japan and the Ainu’ and ‘Japanese paintings’.

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Genthe Collection

Hiroshi Sugiyama Collection, c. 1941-1945

This online collection comprises a range of materials relating to Hiroshi Sugiyama, who served in the US military medical team during World War II. Materials include photographs, official documents, correspondence and memorabilia. The collection was digitised in a joint initiative by the University of Southern California Library and the Go For Broke National Education Center in the US, which seeks to share knowledge about the experiences of American World War II veterans of Japanese ancestry.

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Hiroshi Sugiyama Collection overview
Hiroshi Sugiyama Collection search

The J. Paul Getty Museum Japan Photography Collection

The J. Paul Getty Museum houses a collection of over 2,000 Japan-related photographs dating from the Meiji era to the present. The majority of the images can be viewed online, and free downloads are available for photographs out of copyright.

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The J. Paul Getty Museum Photography Collection search page

Metadata Database of Japanese Old Photographs in Bakumatsu-Meiji Period

This website indexes Nagasaki University Library’s collection of historical photographs of Japan, comprised of approximately 7,000 items produced in Japan by Western and Japanese photographers during the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century. The images are watermarked and external usage requires permission, but the catalogue can be freely browsed.

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Metadata Database of Japanese Old Photographs in Bakumatsu-Meiji Period

Photo Archive of Japanese Religions

Nanzan University’s Institute for Religion and Culture hosts an open-access collection of over 800 images related to religion and religious practices in Japan.

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Photo Archive of Japanese Religions